A big change over at ~SUSHI RAN~: executive chef Scott Whitman has departed after 15 years and is opening his own izakaya in Fairfax. The team at Sushi Ran says, “We greatly appreciate all Scott’s contributions over his long tenure at Sushi Ran. He will be missed, but we enthusiastically support Scott in pursuing his dreams and wish him tremendous success.” No word yet about a replacement for him.

We tried to reach Whitman to find out more details on the project, but didn’t hear back. We did, however, find this Kickstarter about the project, Village Sake, which mentions he is partnering with local firefighter Scott Porter; additional team members are Darrin Sander of Eat Drink Works for operations and sous chef Rogelio Newcomb (Sushi Ran and Morimoto Napa). Jim Maxwell of Architects II will be creating a “relaxed but refined atmosphere” for the historic location. They hope to open in August; you can follow their progress on Facebook. 19 Bolinas Rd., Fairfax.

Meanwhile, Sushi Ran’s executive sushi chef Takatoshi Toshi won the Global Sushi Challenge championship in Chicago last month and will represent the U.S. at the world sushi competition in Tokyo in November. The national champions from Japan and 13 other countries will vie for the Global Sushi Challenge world championship. With Sushi Ran approaching its 30th anniversary in 2016, this could be an extra-special win. 107 Caledonia St., Sausalito, 415-332-3620.